Should I count net carbs or total carbs when tracking macros?

If you were once told to subtract fiber from your carbs, you're not imagining it. In a macro Q&A, a member asks Nikkiey about exactly that, because she remembered being allowed to eat more carbs based on fiber. Nikkiey is clear that the advice has changed: everything is counted. She says the net carb idea is a keto thing she got pulled into when the community kept asking about it, and she is not about it. You track total carbs.

One WarriorBabe coach gives the reasoning in a separate episode. Some people do digest fiber differently, but fiber is still a carbohydrate. Sugar is still a carbohydrate too, including the sugar in white rice, white flour and white bread. Her bigger point is consistency: tracking net carbs means your actual carb intake fluctuates from day to day, while counting every carb gives your body a steady, predictable amount. She adds that what matters most is when you use those carbs during the day, which is covered in the WarriorBabe application.

The coach explains that many people don't digest a lot of fiber well, and vegetables don't give you the real amount of carbohydrate you need for energy in training. Whole-food carbs do. If your numbers have felt off, the fix is often the method, not your effort.